Jolley et al. (2002) have proposed that the date of the Paleocene - Eocene thermal maximum is ca. 60 Ma, at least 5 m.y. older than currently estimated and, as a result, argue that the Paleogene time scale of Berggren et al. (1995) is grossly miscalibrated. The implications of this proposal are implausible, and we attribute the discrepancy in age noted by Jolley et al. (2002) to miscorrelation of the Staffa-type palynofloras and ambiguous isotopic dates from the North Atlantic igneous province.